J’aime Paris! From the minute we hopped off the Eurostar (high speed train) I knew this was a city that screamed my name. The chaotic streets, the beautiful language that engulfs you & the never-ending list of things to see and do in this sparkling city makes me feel right at home.

We quickly tossed our bags at the hotel (Le Pradey) & set out for the day! My heart was pounding with excitement as we began to walk the city & my mind was in pure bliss knowing that I was steps away from so many wonders. We walked to The Louvre and through its gardens, to the Obelisk, to the Grand Palais & up Champs Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe. Sights of the Eiffel Tower peering over the buildings at every which angle made my heart skip and jump.

We ended up back at The Louvre* for a night tour of the museum – over 30,000 endless masterpieces housed in one palace. A drink was needed after all the information we took in from our guide – so we set off to a 404, a Moroccan restaurant recommended to us by a friend. We knew we were in the right spot as soon as we walked in – the vibe, music, decor & the food was scrumptious beyond imagination.

To end our first night in Paris we ended back up at The Louvre – Parisians all over the park. Cuddled on their blankets – drinking & singing songs while lit up by all the top notch sites. As the clock tips at the hour mark everyone screams joy & I looked up in disbelief to see the Eiffel Tower sparkling! The light show happens for five minutes every hour from dusk till 1am. With the sight from afar my hub & I knew that we had to make it for the last show. No taxis in sight for a half hour & what to do in a city where no one speaks your language? Run. Yes, we ran to the Eiffel Tower.

Minutes were passing by fast & our breath was running out after every few blocks (we were not in our running shoes). 12:56am – 4minutes to get there. We could see the tip, but we could not find the base..running down & around streets to only arrive right at 1am. Covered in sweat & barely able to breathe, we look up – and the Eiffel Tower starts sparkling. We made it, just in the knick of time! Needless to say, we had a good nights rest after a late night workout.

Continue reading for details on the rest of my trip in Paris…

The Eiffel Tower* was still on our mind the following day, so we had a private tour booked up (this is key to skip the lines). After the lesson in history about Paris & the tower we needed to unwind. We ate at a random cafe in Marais, shopped at Le Bon Marché & strolled around the sunny streets of the neighborhood. Before walking towards the Seine & up to Notre Dame, we popped our heads into Le Grand Épicerie de Paris to pick up a few goodies for a picnic. The selection was mouth watering – fresh figs, wild strawberries that we could smell before we snagged them up & macaroons (how could we resist)!

The walk along the Seine brought us to the lock bridge. We brought our own lock & found a happy place for our love to be locked up forever (or until they cut it off)! We finally strolled our way up to Notre Dame, lines were insane so we were fine with only the façade as our view. Gargoyles, the Seine & Parisian performers were all in sight as we picnicked in the Notre Dame park.

After a quick freshening up at the hotel we taxi’d over to Montmartre. This area has beautiful views of the city, plenty of restaurants to choose from & is only a short walk to a major tourist trap – The Moulin Rouge show! Seating is first come, first serve & the line was down 4 blocks (even with the tickets we bought in advance)!! Insiders tip – grease the front door guy to skip the line. We gave him 50 euro (worth every penny) & got bumped up to the short line inside the building! Our seats were amazing (right in the front) and the next two hours were full of sparkles, boobs & talent – the show was packed full of costume changes, songs, animals & 3 special acts that were my fave!

Our last day in Paris was a tad overcast & rainy – so we opted for a museum day! We began our day at Vegan Folie’s for a late breakfast (a vegan bakery in the Latin Quarter). Tofu cheesecake & vegan cupcakes, the breakfast of champs! After walking around the cute streets for a bit we made our way to Musée de l’Orangerie – mostly known for its two rooms which house Monet’s famous Water Lilies, which were gorgeous. Then off to Musée d’Orsay*, which had thousands of pieces to look at in such a cool environment (an old train station) & we ended at Centre Pompidou for a quick look at the modern art museum before our 830pm dinner reservation at Georges, the restaurant on the top floor of the complex. The view at Georges is beyond amazing & the food was very tasty! Recommend some sips of champagne, escargot & beet salad which were all killer while watching the sunset. The sky turns dark & click, the cities monuments light up! We even caught two of the Eiffel Tower sparkle shows before we were done with dinner!

The view at Georges is breathtaking, but I wanted an up close with the Eiffel Tower light show again. So after our dinner we set off to Jardins du Trocadéro in spite of the rain & cold weather. People were swarming the pavement, street vendors trying to sell you souvenirs from every angle & Parisian snacks in food trucks at our disposal. Everyone hollered when the show began (this show was at midnight), the sky lit up & I was in heaven – the perfect view for the light show! What a way to end our Paris trip!

How could I not enjoy a city that sparkles! On to the next destination…au revior!

* If you are looking to book a tour, we used Paris Muse for Musée d’Orsay, Easy Pass Tours for the Eiffel Tower & My Parisian Tour for The Louvre. HIGHLY recommend setting up tours in advance! Easy way to skip the lines & learn the most information at a good pace!